Wooden pen recommendation?

[aggoo]

For a beautiful pen made completely of wood, including the section, you could find a Waterman MAN 100 in any of the wood finishes.  There are a fair few versions made in the late 80s and early 90s, and the pens are superb quality with great nibs.  The section will stain though.  If you are lucky, you can find a FP/BP set in the special wooden 'pouch' it was originally sold in.  Should be available for about $500 if you are patient.

 

https://pennibink.weebly.com/2d--man-100-in-wood--man-100-en-bois.html

This link shows the 'pouch' made of the same wood.  https://www.artcurial.com/en/node/1133801

 

Also the OMAS Legni Pregiati (Precious Wood) series are all wood, and occasionally come up for sale.  I suspect they would be a bit more fickle though in terms of quality.  When they do come available, they can sometimes be found under $500.

[TSherbs]

7 hours ago, aggoo said:

For a beautiful pen made completely of wood, including the section, you could find a Waterman MAN 100 in any of the wood finishes.  There are a fair few versions made in the late 80s and early 90s, and the pens are superb quality with great nibs.  The section will stain though.  If you are lucky, you can find a FP/BP set in the special wooden 'pouch' it was originally sold in.  Should be available for about $500 if you are patient.

 

https://pennibink.weebly.com/2d--man-100-in-wood--man-100-en-bois.html

This link shows the 'pouch' made of the same wood.  https://www.artcurial.com/en/node/1133801

 

Also the OMAS Legni Pregiati (Precious Wood) series are all wood, and occasionally come up for sale.  I suspect they would be a bit more fickle though in terms of quality.  When they do come available, they can sometimes be found under $500.

Thanks, aggoo, I've never heard of this one.

[tim77]

Pilot makes a couple of wooden Vanishing Points.  Maybe not what you had in mind, but it does avoid the inky-section problem.

[TSherbs]

1 hour ago, tim77 said:

Pilot makes a couple of wooden Vanishing Points.  Maybe not what you had in mind, but it does avoid the inky-section problem.

Thanks, tim. Yes. But my one VP in the creamsicle yellow is enough for me....

[como]

@TSherbs Considering craftsmanship and knowledge of working with wood, I would say Ryan Krusac and Ryo Yamamoto of Hakase. For your budget, I still think Ryan Krusac is a very good candidate. There are other things to consider for several pen models mentioned in various previous posts:

 

1. After sale support. You have pens and models made of wood that are discontinued models and in some cases company out of business. Maybe you don’t want to send your pen to Japan, if you can just send within your country (assuming you are US based)? Will Waterman repair your wood pen? Omas... well you know it doesn’t exist any more.

 

2. I really prefer someone with a history of working with wood. Same thing goes with a custom made celluloid pen. Some pen makers know how to turn pens very well, but don’t have a working knowledge of curing celluloid. They get a celluloid rod and just do the same as acrylic. Well, it doesn’t always end well (warped later?) A wood specialist would be good.

 

Good luck to your hunt. Wood is a very unique material. If cared for property, it can last a long time and become even more beautiful when you first bought it. I use a wood conditioner designed for guitar fret board. It’s worked out very nicely.

[TSherbs]

3 hours ago, como said:

@TSherbs Considering craftsmanship and knowledge of working with wood, I would say Ryan Krusac and Ryo Yamamoto of Hakase. For your budget, I still think Ryan Krusac is a very good candidate. There are other things to consider for several pen models mentioned in various previous posts:

 

1. After sale support. You have pens and models made of wood that are discontinued models and in some cases company out of business. Maybe you don’t want to send your pen to Japan, if you can just send within your country (assuming you are US based)? Will Waterman repair your wood pen? Omas... well you know it doesn’t exist any more.

 

2. I really prefer someone with a history of working with wood. Same thing goes with a custom made celluloid pen. Some pen makers know how to turn pens very well, but don’t have a working knowledge of curing celluloid. They get a celluloid rod and just do the same as acrylic. Well, it doesn’t always end well (warped later?) A wood specialist would be good.

 

Good luck to your hunt. Wood is a very unique material. If cared for property, it can last a long time and become even more beautiful when you first bought it. I use a wood conditioner designed for guitar fret board. It’s worked out very nicely.

Thanks, como. This is sound advice.

[A Smug Dill]

 

[jchch1950]

The Omas pens Legni Pregiati were sold with a special plastic protector of the wood section to be used when filling the pen.😉

 

 

 

 

l

[TSherbs]

4 hours ago, A Smug Dill said:

 

Thanks, Dill. Unique woods!

[TSherbs]

2 hours ago, jchch1950 said:

The Omas pens Legni Pregiati were sold with a special plastic protector of the wood section to be used when filling the pen.😉

 

 

 

 

l

That protector would have to fit very tightly, no? I would likely just be filling the pen via the cartridge or converter.

[jchch1950]

18 hours ago, TSherbs said:

That protector would have to fit very tightly, no? I would likely just be filling the pen via the cartridge or converter.

I have never use the wood Omas as I have been afraid that the nib can drop some ink in the cap and from there to the section. What I saw was a Waterman wood pen that had a stain section , my friend send it to the importer in the USA for repair and they send the pen back with a black plastic section. You are right is better to fill the pen by cartridge or filling the converter before putting it in the section.

[como]

Though I generally favor piston over cartridge converter, in the case of wood pens, I think the simpler the better. Wood on knob, wood on section, wood threads... fragile pieces, different materials that expand and shrink at different speed or volume... just more things to break. For a well designed and executed wood pen, one should just focus on keeping the wood in top condition, away from heat, humidity, and oil it occasionally to minimize the chance of cracking. I have just one wood pen, keep it nice and simple. Sometimes I have the itch of buying more wood pens, then I thought: don’t do it. Enjoy the one I have and count on my blessing 😀.

[TSherbs]

On 10/13/2021 at 12:24 PM, como said:

. Enjoy the one I have and count on my blessing 😀.

That's exactly how I'd like to be: the owner of *one,* and grateful for the blessings of my life.

[OMASsimo]

I do have a few wooden pens but none with a wooden section. And I think that the problem is not staining but cracking. The feed and nib exert quite some force on the section and unless the section is enforced somehow, the risk of cracking a wooden section seems quite high to me.

 

My absolutely favourite wooden pen is an OMAS Amerigo Vespucci. In fact, it’s among my top favourite pens of all! It has a plastic section with gold bands, the cap has a plastic liner, and the barrel of this piston filler is also lined. So, there is no real problem with staining at all unless you mess with the ink bottle. But most importantly, the nib writes like heaven and the balance is excellent. That is a vintage pen I could recommend with absolute confidence.

 

That OMAS, if you could find one at all, might be a bit above your budget. But if I look at currently available alternatives, I’m not sure that I’d be happy with the nibs. And for me the nib is the heart and soul of a pen. If you look for a wooden pen with an awesome nib, the options become very scarce in my opinion.

[TSherbs]

1 hour ago, OMASsimo said:

I do have a few wooden pens but none with a wooden section. And I think that the problem is not staining but cracking. The feed and nib exert quite some force on the section and unless the section is enforced somehow, the risk of cracking a wooden section seems quite high to me.

 

My absolutely favourite wooden pen is an OMAS Amerigo Vespucci. In fact, it’s among my top favourite pens of all! It has a plastic section with gold bands, the cap has a plastic liner, and the barrel of this piston filler is also lined. So, there is no real problem with staining at all unless you mess with the ink bottle. But most importantly, the nib writes like heaven and the balance is excellent. That is a vintage pen I could recommend with absolute confidence.

 

That OMAS, if you could find one at all, might be a bit above your budget. But if I look at currently available alternatives, I’m not sure that I’d be happy with the nibs. And for me the nib is the heart and soul of a pen. If you look for a wooden pen with an awesome nib, the options become very scarce in my opinion.

That Vespucci is damn beautiful. Wow. I might have to start saving....

[OMASsimo]

!

9 minutes ago, TSherbs said:

That Vespucci is damn beautiful. Wow. I might have to start saving....

Yes, saving. But also hunting! It did take me quite a while to hunt down an affordable one and that was years ago. By the way, there is also the OMAS AM87, which seems nearly identical to the Amerigo Vespucci.

[CraigN]

Hi all,

 

Going back to pens that are currently being produced, does anyone have information regarding Mr. Cypress?  I looked at pens on the website and there are pens that look amazing.  Not just wood pens, either.  The website includes English translation in some areas as well as prices in US$.  If no information is available I'll ask questions directly to them, but hope someone here has their own experiences to share.

 

Thank you in advance for your replies.

 

Craig

[TSherbs]

21 minutes ago, OMASsimo said:

!

Yes, saving. But also hunting! It did take me quite a while to hunt down an affordable one and that was years ago. By the way, there is also the OMAS AM87, which seems nearly identical to the Amerigo Vespucci.

The AM87 looked acrylic to me, but maybe some of them were wooden.

[como]

11 hours ago, OMASsimo said:

I do have a few wooden pens but none with a wooden section. And I think that the problem is not staining but cracking. The feed and nib exert quite some force on the section and unless the section is enforced somehow, the risk of cracking a wooden section seems quite high to me.

 

My absolutely favourite wooden pen is an OMAS Amerigo Vespucci. In fact, it’s among my top favourite pens of all! It has a plastic section with gold bands, the cap has a plastic liner, and the barrel of this piston filler is also lined. So, there is no real problem with staining at all unless you mess with the ink bottle. But most importantly, the nib writes like heaven and the balance is excellent. That is a vintage pen I could recommend with absolute confidence.

 

That OMAS, if you could find one at all, might be a bit above your budget. But if I look at currently available alternatives, I’m not sure that I’d be happy with the nibs. And for me the nib is the heart and soul of a pen. If you look for a wooden pen with an awesome nib, the options become very scarce in my opinion.

@OMASsimo I am also attracted to the Omas Amerigo Vespucci, and the AM87. I agree that the Omas nib is pretty unbeatable, and surely more exciting than another Jowo or Bock nib. May I ask if the Amerigo is lacquered wood? If so, on one hand, the wood is somewhat protected from the elements. But on the other hand, it leaves one little option to care for it by applying oil.

[OMASsimo]

21 hours ago, TSherbs said:

The AM87 looked acrylic to me, but maybe some of them were wooden.

 

The AM87 is made of briarwood just as the Amerigo Vespucci. To me they look more or less identical but the latter was a limited edition of 1000 pieces.

 

11 hours ago, como said:

@OMASsimo I am also attracted to the Omas Amerigo Vespucci, and the AM87. I agree that the Omas nib is pretty unbeatable, and surely more exciting than another Jowo or Bock nib. May I ask if the Amerigo is lacquered wood? If so, on one hand, the wood is somewhat protected from the elements. But on the other hand, it leaves one little option to care for it by applying oil.

 

I cannot tell for sure but the surface seems to be treated in some way. Maybe it is just polished and the surface shows some smaller imperfections. It’s briarwood and thus does not need to be oiled or treated by any other means, I think. At least I never saw any reason or never had any desire to treat the wood. Many pipes are made of briarwood because it’s not only drop dead gorgeous but also really tough. And I doubt that pipes are lacquered. Maybe some of our friends in the Italy sub-forum know more about this.